- Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust closed after two decades due to financial difficulties
Doctors warn that the number of people being screened for cervical cancer could plummet following the closure of one of the UK’s leading charities.
Last week, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust closed after two decades due to financial difficulties.
The charity had been instrumental in encouraging uptake of the HPV vaccine and routine cervical cancer screening, which detects pre-cancerous changes, considered the best way to protect against the disease.
The number of women presenting for routine smear testing has fallen to a record low following the Covid pandemic, according to the latest figures.
Now doctors say the NHS will struggle to boost screening numbers without the charity’s resources and campaigns.
Doctors fear the number of people being screened for cervical cancer could plummet following the closure of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust (file photo)
Nisa Aslam, a London-based GP, called the closure “a huge loss for women’s health” and said she often referred patients to the charity’s website for information, which she believes increased the chances of them getting tested.
She added: “The closure will have a huge impact on the number of women who will be screened and diagnosed early.”
Professor Peter Sasieni, one of Britain’s leading cervical cancer screening experts, said Jo’s Trust will “definitely be missed”. It’s really tragic that the charity couldn’t continue to operate.’
The NHS declared last year its intention to wipe out cervical cancer by 2040. But NHS data from November showed that only 69 per cent of women aged 25 to 64 in England had undergone a screening test. cervical screening the previous year.
The NHS declared last year its intention to wipe out cervical cancer by 2040, but data showed only 69 per cent of women aged 25 to 64 had come forward for screening (file photo ).
The test looks for changes in cervical cells caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to the development of cervical cancers.
Women ages 25 to 49 are offered screening every three years. People between 50 and 64 years old can get tested every five years.
If early signs of cervical cancer are detected, patients can undergo treatment to remove abnormal tissue from the cervix.
According to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, early detection can prevent more than seven in ten cancer diagnoses.
